Who do you think is the better dancer?

I am going out on a very long limb here and picking the dancer as portrait on the left.  This beautiful stamp was designed by Adrian George.  The ballerina is part of a 4 stamp commemorative set honoring the British Theatre.  In addition to the ballerina, there is a harlequin, Hamlet and an opera singer.  I will actively seek to purchase this set as each stamp is more lovely than the next.

While i do not doubt the prowess of Simon Bolivar to move on the dance floor, it is not for that he adorns this 1893 Venezuela stamp.  Initially this was a school tax revenue stamp later repurposed (Well ahead of the times!) to supplement salaries of postal workers.

Simon Bolivar liberated Venezuala from Spanish rulers in 1813.  He was appointed Dictator which led to a Civil War.  After years of conflict, by the end of 1824 he was President of Columbia, Dictator of Peru, and President of the newly created Bolivia.  Way too much more to that story.   However of note, the internet continues to churn stories of Bolivar's excellent moves on the dance floor, but I still choose the ballerina.

 

Gold Star Mothers.

Prior to this stamps issue in 1948,  only 10 US postage stamps celebrated women.   Think about that.   I want to know who those ten women were and I would like to identify another ten  who despite their accomplishments could not get their face on a stamp (and their stories told)  That is the making for a future blog.

 In this case, the stamp was issued to celebrate  mothers who lost their child to war.  (Fathers get no love with this particular issue but so be that).   A mother's loss of child must engender some of the deepest grief and pain imaginable.  A stamp is what we have today to celebrate and  honor.  It seems the smallest of tokens.

The stamp was designed by Charles R. Chickering at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  (Thank you to postalmuseum.si.edu for this education)

Some might recall there was a kerfuffle early in the former President's tenure regarding disrespect (sort of a normal thing at the time) toward the gold star mother and father who lost their son to combat.  They were Muslim and anti- Muslim sentiment was rampant through that first year of his administration.  There is more to  that story but not to the point here.   What I did learn here is that Senator Blumenthal from CT wrote to the Postmaster General at that time (8/2016) requesting that the stamp be reissued.  Suffice to say, the stamp was not reissued.  Nothing like using the issue of Gold Star Mothers to gain some political points.   

Today I  honor and celebrate the mothers of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so I can sit here at my computer, research stamps, manage The Urban Legends, write my blog, cook my dinner...........well I imagine you get the point.

 

Meet Kate Tucholla.  She was an excellent and avid field hockey player in school and at club level in Germany.  Around the fields she met her husband, Felix Tucholla, who was active in the political scene.  They both joined the Combat Community for Red Sports Unit.

Soon they were both active in the anti-fascist movement.  Kate acted as a courier driver and also helped to find housing for persecuted anti-fascists.  In a mtter of 3 days in July, 1942, both were arrested.  Both were executed in September 1943.

This stamp is one of a pair, the other depicting Ms. Tucholla in field hockey action.  That pair and 4 other constitute a nice set honoring German athletes killed resisting.  The stamp was issued in 1963.

Sometimes it is just the colors and the artwork that make the stamp

Sometimes it is just about the color and art.  Unfortunately, I cannot put this stamp in that category.  The colors and the art just do not do it for me.    The stamp is from Poland, issued in1983 and commemorates a national traditional headdress.  Somehow only unmarried women and young girls could wear a flower wreath.  Married women had to wear a kerchief.  The  notation of rozbarski on the stamp refers to a district called Rozbark.  I welcome your further research to tell me what that really means.

Now if you are looking for, in my opinion, a pretty stamp.  Look no further.

Lovely blue and browns and gold.......The stamp on the right has always been a favorite of mine for the double shading of pink and blue.  They are two of a set of 6 issued in 1974 in Poland honoring wooden architecture.   Go far enough down the rabbit hole and you'll find there is a stamp for damn near everything.

 

Retard as a verb is good. Retard as an adjective is bad.

 A controversial stamp by today's standards, for sure.  Over the last many years, the use of the word retarded has in fact, faded from the landscape.  In today's words, it has been cancelled.  However, am I a bad person to admit that I like the VERB retard.   I am certainly not a retard (NOUN) for trying to create and write a stamp blog.  While my next door neighbor might be different, she is certainly not a retarded (ADJECTIVE) child.   However I might add that my limited research skills retard (VERB) my progress with this blog.  Having worked for the Department of Retardation back in the day, I lived through a period when the word was quite acceptable.  It is surely not today and should not be used in the context of defining a child or adult. 

The stamp was issued on 10/12/1974 at a time to coincide with the convention in Dallas of the National Association of Retarded Children.  It was part of an ongoing series to use the postal service as an awareness tool for societal challenges. (drug use etc).  The precursor to the NARC was originated in 1850 and was called the National Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Retarded Children with a constituency of 200,000.  (old NYT)

We have come a long way (baby)......and miles to go before we rest.

 

The Temple of Heaven, Bejing China

 

(This blog has an update below)

My first question that I cannot answer is why a Chinese stamp would have a 50 cent denomination written in English?   The answer is likely more complex than my simple brain can process.  It involves to some degree a deeper study in China history, Japanese involvement, (it is possible that this stamp is a japanese issue while provisionally governing China?---again more research)

The exact etiology is a mystery.  The stamp depicts the Temple of  Heaven in Bejing.  There was an identical issue in 1909 which mentions a 50c denomination, but I could find no picture, no verification.  There was a similar issue of revenue stamps in 1940-41 called Nanjing Revenue Stamps, but again, no visual verification of this stamps.  Various deeper dives into web sites specializing in Chinese postal history gave me popsicle brain.  So, we leave it a mystery....one to pass on to the mysterious future auctioneer.

 From Wikipedia I learn, The Tempe of Heaven is an imperial complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for a good harvest. The Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world's great civilizations..." as the "symbolic layout and design of the Temple of Heaven had a profound influence on architecture and planning in the Far East over many centuries."^[1]

So it is a very historic building that  I  likely will never see in person.  I am still very mystified as to why I have a (seemingly Chinese) stamp with a value of 50 cents.   We live in a mysterious world......sounds like words that might be found in a popular song.

 UPDATE     (Later that day)  So with the help from a friend at the Spellman Museum site, and via postalwiki.cn, I learn this was a tax stamp issue in 1940 by a provisional (and puppet Japanese) government.  It is one in a series of ten with the largest 2 denominations most rare. I have not been able to determine whether this has any real value.  It was a tough and tedious research, so that makes this final determination  worthy.

One for the Good Guy's Team

 

Say hello to Father Bento Dias Pacheco.   Padre Bento was a priest who initially in his younger years served the slaves in a district near San Paulo.  Later he would dedicate his life to serving people with Hansen's disease, which is often referred to as leprosy.  He lived with them, dressed and cleansed them, and helped those who could no longer see or walk.  For 42 years he dedicated his life.  He died in 1911.

Some---no, many many people are better that I.  Padre Bento  is high on that list.  Sacrificing your life in the service of those afflicted.

As for the stamp, one of the smallest you will come across.  This stamp was issued in 1955.  Protecting the children against the evils of Hansen's disease is the literal description of what is written on the stamp.  This stamp is one of a  multi colored set, details of which you are welcome to research and let me know.  

Seriously, more good history coming from these little pieces of art.

Thanks are always in order to  Mr Google, and Ms Wikipedia for their undying documentation of knowledge.